Rebuilding Our Home
by didsomeonesayventus
Summary: "The light in their hearts was certainly enough." TerQuaVen restoring the Land of Departure and the fluff that follows. (TW: attempted suicide in chapter 4)
1. Chapter 1

"I can't believe that this place can become a confusing castle of nothing but pristine white, yet when I turn it back to normal after ten years it looks like it spent fifty of 'em in a pig sty." Aqua muttered through the nails in her teeth as she carefully restored one of the arches in the grand hall of the recently restored Land of Departure. Her will, along with Terra and Ventus, was to restore the whole castle themselves, ensuring every small detail was perfect. A legacy to their dearly departed master, Eraqus. So far their bedrooms were completely restored- Eraqus included. Aqua frowned and paused a moment; Terra had refused to talk for days during and after the restoration of Eraqus's quarters. She then sighed and resumed her work "Come on, Aqua, this castle won't fix itself. Terra's fine now."

"Hey, Aqua!" Ventus yelled from beneath her tall and precarious ladder "I got those nails ya wanted." He frowned, realizing she hadn't heard him. He banged the nail bucket against her ladder "AQUA!" Aqua still not paying attention, he sighed and rubbed the back of his neck "Good grief..." He then smiled lightly as he took a look around "Well, at least the place is comin' into shape."

It was really only the bare bones of the place. Plaster was still drying; filigrees needed to be carved; the windows were solemnly empty (but at least cleared of broken glass); the doors weren't there either with their frames lonely and empty (Aqua wondered if Terra was working on them elsewhere); the floor was covered in rough canvas to keep paint and plaster off of the floor (which there really was no point to since they still needed to replace the stone flooring and wood in some places); the thrones were gone from the room with their new lacquer finish drying in the sun; the ornamental designs that used to be behind them needed to be completely redone so the wall was blank and awaiting skilled hands (although Yen Sid had helpfully provided another of the rare gem Eraqus had used for communication, which helped lessen the work needed for that); and the steps still needed to be re-carved and polished.

That wasn't even getting into the other rooms and corridors of the castle. It was a whole lot of work for even for two Keyblade Masters and their honorary Apprentice (Ventus was being... "put on hold" until himself and others felt he was old enough for the title, his long sleep ignored). They had been working for about a month now non stop from the moment they could retreat from saving the worlds and they weren't even 10% done. As Sora had noted on one of his occasional visits, the trio were "Doing a lot of good work at [their] expense."

Ventus continued wistfully looking around, then leaned against Aqua's ladder. One of the feet shifted into a dip in the floor (caused by a chunk of rubble from earlier destruction), and the resulting wobble caused Aqua to cry out in alarm as she tried to regain her balance. Ventus shielded himself from the slight drizzle of nails "Sorry, Aqua!" He then noted in horror she wasn't going to recover "AQUA!"

Aqua screamed as she fell off the ladder. Ventus heard a heavy thunk, then watched as Terra leapt at her with his arms outstretched. He caught her, and the two skidded and crashed into a pile of canvas and plaster buckets. Ventus rushed over "Terra! Aqua!"

Terra spluttered and wiped wet plaster from his face and removed the can on his head. The can, now empty, clanged around elsewhere in the room "You okay, Aqua?"

Aqua blinked as she wiped wet plaster from her eyes, then said softly "Yes." She looked at Terra, and laughed "You looked so scared!"

Terra smiled and grabbed some canvas and gently wiped up her face "Well I _was_..."

Ventus sighed in relief "You're okay..." He suppressed his laughter when it finally registered that they were both covered in plaster "Well, really white, but okay!" Terra glared at him, then began laughing. Aqua joined in, the three just happy they still had each other.

Aqua was the first to stand up "Okay, come on, let's get back to work." She looked at Ventus "Where are those-"

Ven triumphantly held up the nail bucket she had requested with a large grin "Here!"

Terra was still sitting, and he moaned "Aw come on, can't I get a shower first?" He continued wiping up plaster, and it was then Aqua noticed that he wasn't wearing a tight shirt. No shirt at all, actually.

"Terra, what were you doing?" she said, modestly looking elsewhere with a slight blush.

Terra stood, gesturing to an abandoned chisel and mallet on the floor a few feet off "Oh, just coming in from carving up the doors." He stretched a little "What can I say it was getting hot outside and I was hoping you would bother to stop working yourself to the bone to make lemonade-"

Ventus excitedly cut Terra off "Yeah! Can you?! Your lemonade is the _BEST!_"

Aqua smiled, then ruffled the hair of both her boys "Yeah, we can have a lemonade break."

...

After a long day of working hard, Aqua almost collapsed in her bed. Almost. She still had to say goodnight, afterall.

She peeked her head outside her door "Terra, Ventus... I love you."

Like clockwork, she saw a light from Ven opening his door "I love you _more~!_"

Then Terra joined in right on cue "Forget it guys I love you both _WAY_ more."

With soft smiles, they all retreated back into their rooms. Aqua then turned off the main light in her room, but quickly turned on several nightlights and lamps, and even her closet light even though the door would remain closed. She then put on her gray-blue silk pajamas and buried herself under an unnaturally excessive pile of blankets.

Her smile flickered away with her eyelids. No matter what she did, it wasn't home anymore. It was the cold, damp sand; the remorseless wind howling at her to die; the darkness ready to swallow her with glee; the nook that would only be safe for an hour until Heartless and other creatures too ghastly to imagine would swarm her. She couldn't sleep without tossing and turning and whimpering in her sleep. She would wake up every hour or so from fitful sleep to have to tell herself she was home.

Home.

Not Hell.

_HOME._

Terra and Ventus were right down the hall and she wanted so badly to rush into their rooms and hug them and cling to them, sobbing, screaming, crying. To make sure they were still there and alive and she wasn't just dreaming. It was her own willpower that kept her from doing so. She needed to be strong. She couldn't show a single sign of her distress. For them. For Terra and Ventus. She was not going to be the weak one.

A scream- no, VEN'S scream from just down the hall - woke her from fitful and shallow sleep. She bolted up, throwing her covers against the wall "Ven?! Ventus?!" She leapt out of bed running- her mind no longer had the concept of grogginess "_VENTUS?!_"

She heard Terra running as well in the dark hallways, and they both turned to Ven's room and threw open the door and said in complete unison "Ventus are you okay?!"

Ventus- topless but wearing his signature baggy capris -was quietly sobbing, his hands shakily grabbing at the air around his head and his heart. His sheets were on the floor, a few wet patches of sweat or tears on them. He took staggering breaths, and turned to Terra and Aqua "I-I'm... I'm..." His voice croaked and squeaked. He looked at his feet "I'm..." he conceded to how he truly felt "not fine." He bent over, gripping his head between his legs and crying.

Aqua turned to Terra- he was wearing a set of a baggy shirt and shorts -and silently begged him all the questions she had. Terra then walked over, and sat next to Ven on his bed and began rubbing the boy's back "We're here..." It pained Aqua to see him suppressing his own tears as he quietly wrapped himself around Ventus "We're here." he gasped a little and croaked out "It was just a nightmare."

Aqua joined him, unable to hold back the pain in her voice "Ven, it was just a nightmare." She looked at Terra over Ventus. They were asking each other the same thing- Oh, what had happened to their precious boy? What had broken him so deeply?

Ventus wailed "No! No i-it was darkness and I-I was asleep again in all that h-horrible void of just nothing and T-Terra was p-posessed by Xehanort again and you were-"

"Right here, and never leaving." Aqua said firmly, gently raising Ventus's gaze onto her. She sighed, and brushed away his tears and his hair "Ventus, it was just a nightmare." She began crying; why couldn't she say anything more than that?

"Hey, I get 'em too." Terra said. With Ven's attention on him, he continued "I know, it's scary as heck, but they're just dreams. They can't hurt you."

Ventus nodded shakily, slowly, still trying to collect himself. Terra then laid down on Ven's bed and hoisted the boy on top of him, letting Ventus curl up on his chest "Here, I'll sleep with you and we can tell each other they're just nightmares."

Aqua smiled and curled up against Terra, her arm stretched over both of them "You know what? That's a great idea, Terra." She pulled the blankets back up with some magic, then tucked them all in with her own hands. She quietly kissed Ven's forehead

"It's alright. It may just be the darkness clinging to our skin, but even darkness fades with enough light."

And the light in their hearts was certainly enough.

* * *

ahhhh I love Terra, Aqua, and Ventus way too much ;A; can we please just see them happy in canon please please please?


	2. Chapter 2

Slowly, day by day, week by week, they made their progress. It went slow, but Aqua preferred it that way. It was better than working hard and fast and having to go back and redo everything.

"Hey, Aqua?" Ventus asked as he sent a paint roller higher up to help cover the blank white of the ceiling with misty blue.

"Yeah, Ven?" Aqua replied. She winced at a droplet of paint splattering onto her shortly after.

Ventus stopped for a moment, careful not to lose his balance on his ladder "Me and Terra were thinking..."

Aqua smiled slyly "How dangerous."

Ventus rolled his eyes, then continued "This really is a little too much work for just us three."

Aqua was quiet as she lowered her paint roller. She had specifically set out with just her, Terra, and Ventus doing this for a reason. She didn't want any detail wrong, any bit of stone or wood tainted by hands who knew nothing of the significance of this place. She ran her hand along a dried bit of paint, memories stirring within her. No, this home would only be touched and restored by their hands-

"I know, I know," Ven held his hands up "You want this to be personal, special, untouched by anyone but us." He carefully leaned over and held her shoulder "But the thing is, we can't do all this by ourselves." When Aqua turned her head, Ventus sighed "Come on, we've been working for months now and we're not even close to halfway."

Aqua stubbornly resumed her work "The master always said slower was better-"

"Specifically he said that 'slow and steady wins the race', Aqua." Terra called from below. He stood up from installing the recently finished doors "But he ALSO said that we should never undertake a project we can't handle."

"We can handle this, Terra." Aqua snapped at him.

Terra thought a moment. He then sighed "Aqua, we're working ourselves to death here."

"Well at least we'll die together in our home." she quipped with tears building up.

Terra and Ventus exchanged a look. They always hated seeing a rare burst of tears from each other, but Aqua seemed like a flat out KO punch every time. Ventus resumed his painting, muttering "Maybe another day."

Terra, meanwhile, spoke up "Aqua, you know that none of us get a proper sleep. It's impossible to work like this." Aqua continued her painting, trying to ignore Terra as he continued "Ven still has nightmares, you're tossing and turning and just will not go to sleep, and you know that's the same with me. No one here has had a proper rest in ages. It's dangerous working like this."

Aqua suddenly lurched. She then began lowering herself, deciding that the topic would go better if she didn't fall again. But Kingdom Hearts... Terra was right, none of them could sleep properly anymore.

Aqua had conceded to the past ten years of her life and was now taking in sleep in short hour bursts. One hour asleep, another awake, another asleep... continuing endlessly until morning. She often spent the hour awake slipping into Terra and Ventus's bedrooms, making sure they were well. Or at least... REAL.

Ventus would still wake in the middle of the night screeching for Terra and Aqua. Sometimes he wouldn't go to sleep at all. Either to avoid the nightmares or too painfully reminded of a decade wasted because of sleep. If he did sleep, he moaned and sobbed. Sometimes he woke without a scream, but his eyes were dull and lifeless, and he acted vacant. Aqua would snap her fingers, shake him, try anything to make his gaze something more than a blue void.

Terra was arguably the worst. He violently tossed and turned, as if his sheets were strangling him. Whenever he woke from a dream, he was either incredibly violent, or incredibly lost. Aqua painfully recalled a night when he woke up after she slipped in to check on him, and all he could do was stare at her like he'd never seen her before, then look around at his room and himself like he was in an entirely different body for painful second after painful second.

Aqua tripped on a rung and landed badly on her foot, but the pain was nothing close to how she had to hear Terra begging her for an identity.

"Hey now, easy, easy..." Terra gently scooped her up in his arms "Easy... I'm here." Aqua leaned into him, and wrapped her arms around him in desperate need for his solidity. She needed a rock in this ocean of her heart. She needed it BADLY. She felt his hand running through her hair "You know what, forget I brought it up." He sounded so guilty.

Ventus looked down at them, frowning. He began lowering himself. "I told you not to use that argument, Terra." he hissed in annoyance. He knew this would happen! He knew it! But did Terra listen? No, Terra had to insist! "Stubborn little..." He stopped himself. What was he thinking? He instantly felt guilt in his heart. What was he doing thinking so badly about his friend?

He slid the rest of the way down and joined Terra and Aqua's hug. Maybe he needed that rock, too. Terra was the first to back off "But I am serious about how we need to lessen the load between the three of us."

There was a knock, and Terra grinned. Ventus and Aqua stared at him until he explained "Which is why regardless of either of your input I invited help!"

"TERRA!" Aqua yelled as he giddily slid down a half-finished banister to the door. Ventus only whooped in delight. He KNEW he'd felt a certain someone (or three) at the door.

Terra pushed open the doors "Hey! Glad you made it!" There was echoing yells of surprise and a loud BOOM as one of the doors fell over, followed by Terra's rampant apologizing "Sorry! I-I just- Aqua needed some help and I kinda forgot!"

Shortly after there was a familiar laugh "Well, hey, no one got hurt, right?"

Ventus smiled wide "SORA!" He rushed over to the balcony- Aqua following after then leaving to descend to greet them as Mistress of the place - to see the boy standing there in his usual get up- except his shorts were hiked up to above his knees and he had some tools in his hands.

Sora smiled "Heya Ven! How's it goin'?"

He walked in, followed by Kairi in lavender shorts and a white T-shirt "Wow! Sora you're right this place is amazing!"

Riku walked in- apparently his hair had grown back enough to be tied back in a small ponytail. His jeans and plain gray shirt seemed to be a few sizes too big, which had oddly become his usual style that made him look smaller "Impressive."

Roxas carried in armfuls of... artistic supplies, oddly enough "Better than the place it used to be."

Namine picked up some of the things Roxas had dropped "I bet I could get some really nice sketches!"

Xion- dressed completely in black and navy -twirled in the entryway "Wow! Roxas this place is as big as The Castle That Never Was!"

Lea followed after her with a sluggish pace and a yawn. He idly tugged at his checkered ascot with a small smile "Xion, castles tend to be that way."

Isa playfully smacked his shoulder "Come on, you know she hasn't gotten around that much."

Lea shrugged "Just sayin'. Besides she doesn't get around much because she insists on staying weeks in the same world so she can 'See everything she can see'."

Most surprising of all was Donald, Goofy, King Mickey, Queen Minnie, Daisy, and Yen Sid all coming in wearing plain work clothes.

Goofy waved up at Ventus, smiling "Ready to work!"

Ventus, meanwhile, couldn't stop snorting at the sight of Yen Sid wearing overalls and a plain shirt. He regretted that when the old sorcerer zapped him with a small thunderbolt.

Soon the whole group was gathered at the beginning of the stairs, Terra, Aqua, and Ventus all looking at their small army of workers from a quarter way up them.

Sora ascended the stairs, stopped before Terra, Aqua, and Ventus, bowed to them, then turned to the crowd "Okay then!" he smiled at all the volunteers that had showed up "Who's ready to work?" cheers, but he calmly raised his hand and they quieted "But a few things first. First off, treat this place respectfully!" He held his hand out to Terra, Aqua, and Ven "This was their home! This was where they were raised!"

"Not really... I only stayed here four years..." Ventus muttered sheepishly.

Sora grinned back at him "Well it doesn't matter how long you stay in a place if it welcomes you into its heart and you welcome it into yours. That's home, buddy." He then resumed his small speech, suddenly a little more somber "Not only that, but this was the home of GENERATIONS of Keyblade wielder after Keyblade wielder. This place is the legacy of Master after Master, the home of knowledge we've now lost to time and war. It's a memorial to old times and people we can't get back, but we can remember them."

He patted the stone with a wistful smile "This was the home of people who ensured the worlds remained safe long before we did, and I cannot stress its importance any more than that." He closed his eyes briefly, as if the world itself was talking to him. He always did that after the most recent clash of Light and Darkness. He then nodded and backed away to let Terra, Aqua, and Ventus take the spotlight "Anything the Mistress and Masters of the castle want to add?"

Aqua was crying, her hands over her mouth. She smiled wide at how much reverence Sora had shown her home, and was now completely swayed to letting them help on the restoration.

Sora titled his head with a cocky smile "What? Was it something I said?" His smile hinted that he knew that it was EVERYTHING he had said that was getting Aqua to be so emotional. He held out his hands for a hug, and Aqua wrapped herself around him with a gleeful sob.

Terra cleared his throat "Well, first off don't go doing anything on your own. Consult us before you start a project."

Ventus nodded "Make sure you follow our instructions exactly, and don't be afraid to ask a million questions to get it perfect."

Aqua backed off from Sora, and finished the briefing up "And do treat this like it was your home, give it the respect it deserves and more."

* * *

Ahhh I was just going to leave this story here but WAAHH SORA HAD TO BE AN ABSOLUTE CUTIE AND SUGGEST THIS ;U; (happy turkey day US people woot woot)


	3. Chapter 3

And so the work started. Everyone toiled away with as much love and care as had been given previously.

Namine was placed in charge of conceptual art so everyone would understand what the castle used to look like. It was simple enough to dig through the memories of the three owners and to draw a wallful of art and details. If someone needed an idea of what something had looked like, Namine could sketch it up easily.

Riku, Goofy, and Roxas were all placed in charge of the heavy work with Terra, finishing the doors and starting up other massive muscle projects. They found and carved away at stone from the mountains around the castle and brought it back, finished up the stairs, sanded away at the rough edges of wood.

Lea, with Isa and Xion by his side, proved to be an excellent glass smelter and managed remake all the glass- stained and not -for the windows in about a week. Another was given to them and the heavy work team lifting them into place and ensuring they would stay.

Yen Sid, Mickey, Donald, and Aqua worked on things that weren't exactly strenuous, but still hard enough work- especially with detail. They replaced all the floors and buffed them to reflective sheen, managed to repanel all the wood walls, and the beginnings of ornamental designs in the arches and balconies and other bits of architecture fell into place. The overgrown gardens were slowly mowed down and the pond was cleaned of scum

Kairi, Minnie, Ventus, and occasionally Namine walked in and did all the finer details- the gold paint carefully placed without a blemish, smaller filigrees carved into delicate grace, gems mounted into the walls without any imperfections. They placed lilies and lilac and roses in the gardens in tasteful and artful ways.

Sora was mostly a jack of all trades, wandering from project to project whenever anyone needed an extra, and was constantly consulting Terra, Aqua, or Ventus.

And after a few more months of work, it was finished.

Everyone was gathered outside, admiring the perfectly restored castle gleaming in the setting sun. Aqua, Terra, and Ventus were all crying. It was beautiful, it was gorgeous, it was heaven. Sora waltzed over to a stone that they hadn't noticed was covered "And the icing on the cake..." he said as everyone but the Masters and Mistress of the Land of Departure joined him and grabbed at a section of the cloth. They all unveiled it together, revealing a memorial in black marble to Master Eraqus and the legacy that shone behind him.

Sora grinned "Figured people should know the history of this place."

Aqua leaned into Terra, who wrapped his arms around her and Ventus; that was more than the icing on the cake it was the whole damn thing.

...

So after a change out of work clothes (everyone seemed despondent to see "redneck Yen Sid" go) into more suitable clothing, a celebration was in order.

Aqua paused in front of her bedroom mirror. It felt like her whole life had changed. She smoothed the familiar icy blue sash at her waist, then a few wrinkles in her periwinkle pleated skirt. She adjusted the shawl on her shoulders, noting how the material, being the same as her sash, let her navy tank top show. Then again she loved how gracefully the material gathered at her elbows.

"You look beautiful."

She jolted and saw Terra reflected in her mirror. He was handsome, with his hair carefully tied back similar to Eraqus's and now wearing robes of dark gray and his pants in earthy tones with armor of rust and brass woven into the whole outfit.

He wrapped his arms around her and rested his head on her shoulder, beaming in pride "You look absolutely beautiful."

Aqua blushed "Oh come now, I'm no better looking than you!"

Terra laughed and backed off "Okay, fine, you can't take a compliment I guess-"

"I can too, Terra!" She giggled back.

Terra lowered his gaze and left the room "Oy, you are such a girl..."

Aqua felt a little sad that Terra left her, like someone had taken out some of the warmth in the air. She then shook her head and composed herself, and left to join him in the great hall.

The place was bustling with everyone admiring their work, and eagerly awaiting Terra, Aqua, and ventus for the event to come. The place glowed with oil lanterns in the walls lit and dancing, and the stars outside twinkled through the glass.

The echoing click of Aqua walking in silenced everyone. She met with Terra in front of the thrones. They bowed to each other, then bowed even deeper to the center throne, and sat on its opposite sides; the center left empty in memory of Eraqus.

Aqua drummed her fingers silently on her throne, waiting for the last person to come and watching as the rambling crowd shifted to the sides. She glanced at Terra, who seemed... nervous?

Suddenly footsteps echoed very loudly, and Aqua turned to see Ventus cautiously striding in. Aqua giggled at how asymmetrical his outfit was; his jacket was white with black border on one side while the other was dark gray and white like always, but the white side now had a longer sleeve that hung loosely around his palm. His armor still rested against the gray side, covering most of its short sleeve, and his black shirt underneath still rested under his chin. His pants had gotten a one-sided change as well, the leg underneath the white a few inches shorter now and the black that had rested from waist to knees was gone and replaced with creamy tan. The straps that rested against his chest were oddly devoid of Master Eraqus's sigil.

Aqua and Terra waited for Ventus to stop before them, and they stood while he bowed.

"Ventus," Aqua began, her voice echoing "after consulting everyone here, yourself, and Master Terra, " Ventus lifted his head a little, then snapped it back down into his bow nervously when he saw Terra lightly shake his head "we have decided that you are ready." Aqua turned to Terra, who pulled Ven's old sigil from his robes. He walked over, and Ventus stood straight so suddenly and stiffly his body trembled as Terra pinned the sigil back onto his straps.

Terra backed away to where he was, saying proudly "I, Master Terra,"

"And I, Master Aqua," Aqua chimed in, joining Terra's voice as they said together "now declare you a Keyblade Master."

The hall cheered, and Ventus quickly wiped up his tears of joy before Roxas, Xion, and Sora tackled him in equal delight. Soon Ventus was lost among the countless people hugging him and congratulating him.

And then the din quieted when Terra walked to Aqua and held her hands "Aqua..." He smiled a little and rubbed her hands gently "There's something I want to ask you, something I want to say." a few of the girls "oohhh"ed as Terra got down on one knee "Aqua, we've been together for so long. We've trained together, fought together, but suffered alone." his voice choked up a little "Having gone more than ten years without you, without your smile, without your care, your voice, your everything, I don't need to imagine what it would be like to live without you and what a hell it is."

Aqua was dumbstruck, but smiling giddily; oh gosh he was going to say it-

"Aqua, I want to be by your side forever. I want to raise new Keyblade Masters with you, I want to wake up everyday to your radiance, I don't want to miss another moment with you." Terra then sighed and looked away nervously "I-I don't know how to say it-"

"Spit it out already! Good grief!" Daisy very rudely interrupted.

Terra laughed uneasily as everyone else joined her and began chanting "Say it! Say it! Say it!"

Terra raised his voice at them "ALL RIGHT! How can she hear it when you're wasting air over there?!" Aqua quietly suppressed a laugh.

Terra turned to her, then pulled out a small silver and gold band that appeared to be made of enamel versions of their Wayfinders. "Will you marry me?" he whispered as he slipped it onto her finger.

Aqua nodded, crying "Yes!" she fell to her knees and hugged him "Yes I will!"

Everyone cheered, but Ventus was heard above the rest "About time!"

* * *

;u; happy feels lotsa happy feels and they live happily ever after and Terra and Aqua not only have apprentices they have some key-babies (oh jeez that was a terrible pun) and just everyone leaves the event really goddamn happy for the rest of their lives.

Oh and I changed the title since it wasn't working anymore, and let me just say NOW I am done.


	4. Chapter 4

Life went on like it should between Terra, Aqua, and Ventus. Sure, they still had lingering bits of sadness and trauma from their ordeals, but it seemed to quiet down after the castle was finally finished, and all but vanished after Terra and Aqua's wedding.

Aqua's dress took a few weeks to make, with design after design from Kairi, Namine, and Minnie being scrapped by Aqua for being "too opulent/girly/flouncy/delicate/etc." but eventually she settled on a short and plain solid colored sundress the color of her hair with a set of white detached sleeves that were a little closer to her arms than her other pair. Upon the ladies's insistence, a train was sewn on as a faux longer skirt, and Aqua decided to wear her usual leggings underneath... and her usual Keyblade armored shoes, to "be ready for anything" as she insisted herself.

Terra was slightly less picky, just deciding to wear the Keyblade Master's garb he'd worn for her proposal.

As for the actual exchanging of vows, Ventus- as Terra's best man -brought over a Paopu fruit he'd gotten from Sora with a huge grin. So with a few bites, "I love you"s, and a kiss, Terra and Aqua were married Keyblade Masters. The event was quite unorthodox, but good enough for everyone, especially with Yen Sid approving the marriage.

Terra and Aqua debated on whose room they'd share, but finally settled on swapping out every once in awhile, which roughly translated to "whenever they felt like it". They were happy enough to just cuddle the nights away.

Ventus would occasionally creep in to join in on the cuddles.

Aqua was amused to see that both Terra and Ventus were growing out their hair, Terra's motivation being to emulate Eraqus and Ven's being to look different from Roxas (it helped that Roxas had adopted a shorter hair cut).

Days were often spent picnicking in the mountains around their home, enjoying the sun they hadn't seen in years. Others had Terra and Ventus sparring, although Aqua no longer had the desire to fight with them after fighting both of them before, so she now sat on the sidelines and ensured no one got seriously hurt.

And then there was the times when friends would visit, the whole castle echoing with laughter and enjoyment. Ventus and Roxas easily became known for becoming pranksters when paired together, Aqua generally became the "sane one" no matter who came over, and Terra would often get an earful from Aqua whenever a sparring match with Lea/Sora/Roxas/Riku/Isa got too out of hand. Heck, the boys getting together in general meant a great time for them and a varying experience for the ladies present. Xion and Namine's visits were often regarded as boring by Terra and Ventus, but a welcome relief to Aqua, while Kairi was a mixed bag depending on her company.

However, it was Sora who noticed something was a little off about Ventus first "Hey, is your wrist okay?"

Ven tilted his head idly, as if he hadn't quite hear Sora "Hmm?"

Roxas agreed, adjusting until he was in tune with the two again "You got a nasty looking cut on there that's healing-"

"Oh, Terra was just a little rough, that's all." Ventus dismissed him and covered his wrist with his other hand. Sora raised an eyebrow in response, but didn't comment. When he was leaving, he pulled Aqua aside on the stairs leading out.

"Yes, what do you need to discuss with me, Master Sora?" She sighed, defaulting to her formal 'Keyblade Master' manner of speech.

Sora wagged a finger at her "I don't care if you want to be all official and proper, it's just Sora to you!" he then sighed and held a hand over his face "How many times do I have to tell everyone that?"

Aqua smiled in amusement "Well then, Sora, what do you need to say besides that?"

Sora jerked his thumb towards the entryway "It's about Ven."

Aqua followed his direction, laughter fading "What about Ventus?" The boy was currently smiling and laughing with Roxas. Her eyes narrowed when one hand went up to shake Roxas's hand- was that a wound? But she always-

"You see it, too, right? The cut?"

"Yes." Aqua growled, glaring at Sora from the corners of her eyes "What did you do?"

Sora folded his arms "Nothing. He says Terra was too rough."

Aqua turned to him "But I'm always making sure neither of them are hurt."

Sora nodded "Exactly, I'm not buying it either."

"You sure it wasn't one of the others?" Aqua asked him, suddenly cold. She then shook her head "Never mind that wound is far too selective."

Sora shrugged "I dunno, maybe Lea or Isa snapped. You know that they both spent a good while as the Organization's hitmen." he then looked up, adding doubtfully "Then again... I don't think either of them liked it very much."

Aqua looked back at Ventus "I doesn't make sense..."

Sora then suddenly looked sad "You think maybe..." Sora obviously had trouble voicing his concern "he's... doing it to himself?"

Aqua barked at him "DON'T YOU DARE SUGGEST THAT!"

Ventus and Roxas jumped, and Ven asked plaintively "You okay, Aqua?"

Aqua pinched her nose and closed her eyes, waving the two boys off "Fine. Fine." She then glared at Sora "Don't you EVER bring that up to me-"

Sora turned away and put his hands behind his head like Ventus always did "And you say I'm the one who's in denial." Aqua slapped him "OW! Jeez I'm just saying!" He then left, noticing Roxas glaring at him from the doorway "But I'd seriously check that just in case..."

Aqua watched him leave with nothing but worry in her eyes.

...

"Aqua, you're tense." Terra said as he slipped behind her chair in the library.

"I'm not." She said with a bitter edge as she hunkered down in the chair and tried to resume her reading.

She closed her eyes and smiled a little when he rubbed her shoulders "I know that look, you're bothered by something."

Aqua closed her book, and set it aside as she stood "Okay, fine..." her hand lingered on the armrest "It's about Ven..."

"I'm sure he's fine." Terra scooped Aqua up in his arms "The boy's a tough one."

Aqua listened to his words and his heart, trying to calm herself down "I don't know," her voice suddenly strained and whined and quickened in fear "there was a cut on his wrist and me and Sora couldn't pinpoint where he'd gotten it and I don't want to believe that he's-"

"Aqua, calm down... calm down he's fine." Terra whispered. He ran a hand through her hair and began gently rocking themselves back and forth "Ven's fine. We're all fine." He then backed away and bent down a little so their gazes were even "How about we go check on him?"

Aqua nodded, and followed Terra. They paused in front of ven's room, and Terra knocked on his door lightly. After a few disconcerting noises of things being shuffled around anxiously, Aqua found her voice to ask "Ven? Can we come in?"

"Um... Uh... Yeah! Sure, come in!"

Aqua and Terra looked at each other; Ventus hardly sounded so nervous. Terra opened the door "Okay then..."

Ventus was cross-legged on his bed, wearing his black turtle neck shirt and a pair of baggy tan shorts. His head was titled with a strained smile "What's up?"

Terra cleared his throat "Well, Sora had mentioned you were hurt earlier-"

Ventus blew him off "Lea was just rough-"

"Sora said that you told him it was Terra." Aqua said.

Ven's smile blew out, but resumed "Oh, did I? I must've been a little frazzled-"

"Ven, is everything okay?" Terra asked. He then blinked "Is that blood?"

Ventus quickly slid over the bright red stain on his bedsheets, now sprawled on his bed with his head propped up in one hand "Hmm? Whatcha talkin' 'bout?"

Aqua held a hand to her mouth upon seeing the newly opened cut in another wrist "Ven!" Terra's eyes were fixed on it in a numb sort of horror.

Ventus's eyes suddenly widened in terror, and he withdrew the hand holding his head up "W-what is up with you two?! J-just leave me alone!" He then shook his head "No, I-I didn't... I didn't mean that..." He bit his lip and turned onto his back and looked up at the ceiling, then covered his face with his hands and moaned "I don't know... Just do what you came here for and leave, I guess..."

Aqua walked over, and gently pulled his injured hand off of his face and stared at it, then the glimpse of Ven's utterly lost expression that now had a few beads of blood across it. She ran her finger along the cut, barely whispering "c-cure..." Sora was right after all. She wondered why she was so against the theory.

Terra suddenly seemed to realize what was going on, and snapped at Ventus "What on earth are you thinking?!"

Ventus bolted up, surprising Aqua with how fast and sudden it was "I DON'T KNOW, OKAY?!" he wiped at his face again and laid down sobbing "I don't know..."

Aqua cupped his cheek "Ven-"

"Just be quiet. I don't know..." he croaked.

Aqua glared at Terra, but it softened when she realized Terra was just as stunned, angry, confused, and sad as her. She looked at Ventus again, hating the red-tinted tears that were running down his cheeks. She then quietly rubbed his chest, not knowing what would happen if she hugged him and not wanting to find out.

Terra sat on the ground in front of Ven's bed "Ventus what are you thinking?" This time he sounded less angry and more hurt.

"I don't know..." Ventus hiccuped "I don't know; it's him..." Aqua and Terra looked at each other again; him? Did he mean Vanitas? His earlier training with Xehanort? Both? "Why am I even alive... I can destroy everything if I get in the wrong fight... You should've just killed me when you had the chance-"

"NO!" Terra and Aqua instantly objected.

Ventus only let out the most disgusting sound Terra and Aqua had ever heard- a laughter distorted with the wet sound of tears and a falsehood of desperate hope "Admit it if I never existed none of this would've happened-"

"No, no Ventus..." Aqua bent over him and pressed her forehead to his "No, no, no... no, Ven... you're not to blame for what's happened..."

Ventus shook his head "I am... If Xehanort didn't find me he wouldn't've-"

"You would've never met us! Think of how happy we are together." Aqua backed away with a strained and teary smile, desperate to lighten Ven's depression. Kingdom Hearts how did depression this deep slip under her?

Terra only shook his head "Ven, you can't help being who you are-"

"I'm a monster, an experiment." Ventus spat "I'm a heart that shouldn't exist-"

"Ventus, no." Aqua cut him off "You're not a monster, you're not an experiment-"

Ventus rose his voice "Roxas has more of a right to live than me-"

"Ventus be quiet!" Terra begged him "You're speaking nonsense!"

"It's not fair on the rest of you!" Ventus's voice escalated to a lost wail "It's not fair that just because I was born like this and Xehanort found me that the rest of you suffered! I should be dead for what I've done-"

"DON'T SAY THAT!" Aqua yelled. She stared at Ventus- he wasn't looking at either of them, not even outside to his beloved stars. No, he was looking at the darkest corner of his room, letting his reflected feelings fester and show in his eyes. She then looked at Terra. He was now leaning against her legs, as if something in his stalwart nature had collapsed and weakened it. She closed her eyes, letting her tears and herself go "Don't say that... not when you haven't done anything wrong."

"I exist, that's what wrong." Ventus countered her again "I'm a heart that was completely devoid of darkness, a freakish anomaly that's just laughing in the face of whatever created the worlds... I'm a heart that has an equal mix to bring about the creation of the end of them, too, a bomb ready to explode at any second." His hand then reached into a crack between the bed and the window, and he pulled out a knife- Aqua noted horribly that there was a strong chance Ventus was using it earlier "Maybe I should just-"

"Don't!" Terra's hand grabbed Ven's and the knife. He finally let his tears pour out "Please don't, Ven."

Ventus turned his head to Terra "Why shouldn't I?"

Terra brushed aside his tears, his bangs, even the smallest traces of blood from earlier "Because we love you." Terra bowed his head, shaking. His hand slowly dropped onto Ven's chest "We love you so much..."

Ventus closed his eyes and smiled- it was a broken smile that looked like it didn't belong on such a grieving expression "And that's why I think I need to do this."

...

Of course, the moment Ventus made an attempt was the last straw with everything. Now fortunately Aqua was able to mostly stop it, but it didn't stop Ventus from managing to cut open an artery.

He sat there, in a bed in Disney Castle's infirmary and hooked up to a blood transfusion, looking hollow.

Sora rushed in with about five million balloons and flowers and candies that harshly contrasted with his outright terrified expression "Ven! Ven oh gosh you're okay!" He rushed over to the boy's side "Jeez what got into you?!" Ventus turned away from Sora, quiet, which only spurred his motor mouth on "A-Aqua said you tried to kill yourself gosh you were fine this afternoon-"

"Sora, shut up." Ventus laughed meekly with a bare flick of his lips into a curl.

Sora smiled a little, but he still looked troubled "Me, Reeks, and Kai got the news and we had heart attacks! Well, Kairi and Riku are still back home since Donald added you were kinda stable, but I just had to come see you..." he added softer "Especially when I felt what was probably the intended coup de grace..." He then looked around "I dunno 'bout Roxas and Xion and everybody else... the Highwind is a little slow to get around." He looked back at Ven, then laughed a little "Um, hope you like balloons n' stuff... I got you as much as I could because I didn't think people were gonna come if Donald was gonna give the same message. Not to mention that Ballonga spell was really handy-" he stopped himself, then added anxiously "Bythewaydon'thittheballoonstoohardorthey'llexplode."

Ventus closed his eyes and smiled; Sora was such a goof "Remind me... why did I pick your heart out of all the rest?"

"Well gee in life or death scenarios you kinda just go for the first of what comes up." Sora said, crossing his arms and looking a little offended "Love ya too, heart-bro."

Ventus chuckled. An honest chuckle that he felt he couldn't have done without Sora.

"I Love ya too, heart-bro."

* * *

UGHH I JUST REALIZED THIS SEEMED TO FOCUS ON TERQUA TOO MUCH AND THIS ANGST-SPREE CAME UP.

So yeah I think I'll just add on stories whenever I feel like it so it'll kinda just be an ongoing mess of TerQuaVen oneshot stories.

(fyi yes Balloonga is a spell it's in DDD.)


	5. Chapter 5

Terra set down his copy of The Art of War in his hands. He stared at the gray clouds outside among the Land of Departure, wondering absently why there was bad weather here. There was almost never bad weather here wasn't there-

"Hey! Terra!" He turned to see Ventus running over. He was glomped soon after "Come on we've had rainy days here before! Lighten up!"

Terra smirked at Ven's perfect puppy dog eyed smile "Okay, okay who said I was grumpy?"

Ventus smirked back, puppy dog grin turning into a much more mischievous smile "You just did."

Terra snorted, then peeled Ven off of him "Can you quit clinging to me like that?" Ventus giggled. Terra then gazed outside again. Master Eraqus had always said he enjoyed rainy days, and the color gray, and quiet, balanced atmospheres like this. Terra blinked away a few tears and wiped them up, then gently pushed Ven aside and began walking away.

"Terra?" Ventus asked softly. Terra paused in the doorway, feeling guilt rise up. Hadn't Ventus used that same tone before he left last time? His hand was suddenly shaking, and he very quietly raised it and grabbed the frame of the door so tight he could feel his fingernails digging into the wood. He wasn't sure what he was staring at in reality, but very aware of the nightmares of the past dancing across his vision-

"TERRA!" Terra shook his head, then saw that Ventus was now in front of him. Ven's eyes were wide with worry "Terra you... You were..." He suddenly looked away "Um... You were... Reacting, again." Terra shifted uncomfortably. He knew what Ven meant. A zone out, a nightmare in a day dream, a resurgence of the last tainted bits of Xehanort within him. "Your eyes stayed blue, but I heard you saying things under your breath..." Ven continued, looking at his feet "...you were arguing with yourself."

Terra grabbed his shoulders and smiled "Come on, I'm okay, Ven."

Ventus raised his head and smiled a little reluctantly "Yeah."

Terra was just as reluctant to let go of Ven. Sure, he'd been handling therapy with King Mickey (at the mouse's suggestion and Riku's very, very encouraging insistence) fantastically, but occasionally Terra would look at him and still remember that he had been hurt beyond belief and he'd acted like this. Sometimes he wondered if that smile was fake. Terra hugged Ven. No, no he would not let anything happen to him. Nothing at all. If his problems were his own he would sit there with him and help him sort it all out.

"Terra!" Ventus whined a little with a small laugh "Kinda crushing me here!"

Terra pulled off "Sorry." He then began walking to his room "I'll... I'll spend some time alone."

"But Terra!" Ventus called to him. He slouched back when he realized that Terra probably did need time alone. But time alone was what caused the whole mess before- Ventus quickly corrected himself; no, his insistence on Terra not needing alone time was what caused it.

Aqua approached him "Ven, is everything okay?"

Ventus folded his arms behind his head "I dunno, Terra's being moody..."

Terra took a slight detour from his room, and very quietly paused in front of Eraqus's. He bent down, took off his shoes, lined them up against the wall, knocked softly, then entered. It was still in the perfect condition he had rendered it in. Armor resting on their stands like silent sentinels, the whole space clear and full of light, the bed carefully made for a person who would never sleep in it again. Terra looked it all over a moment, then went out, grabbed his shoes, and went into his room and began packing a rucksack. He pulled up a bedroll, some blankets, kindling for a fire, a flask of tea, ink and brushes and other things for writing-

Aqua knocked on the door, then peeked in "Terra, Ven's worried-"

"I'm gonna go on a small trip." He cut her off with an even tone.

Aqua walked in "Terra, the last time you-"

"I won't leave The Land of Departure." Terra said as he finished up packing. He then hugged Aqua with one arm "Promise. This is just a trip into the mountains."

Aqua blinked, a early memory of their training cropping up "Oh, t-to-"

Terra patted her shoulder as he walked past "Yeah." He then waved goodbye over his shoulder "Take care of Ven, I'll be back in a few days."

After a time of thinking to herself, Ventus ran up to Aqua "Aqua! Aqua, Terra-"

"I know." She said softly "Don't worry he'll be back in a few days-"

Ventus shook his head "But Aqua what if he's leaving-"

"Don't worry Ven, he's just visiting a place the master showed us a long time ago..."

...

Terra pulled himself up onto a small ledge, and sat down for a small break. He'd been climbing this old and unkempt mountain trail for a good hour or so, and while he wasn't tired he didn't want himself to be too strained.

He very quietly pulled out a small teacup and filled it with some cold tea and heated it with a small fire spell. He pulled out a blanket and wrapped it around his shoulders as he sipped his tea in silence. The castle seemed about as big as his hand now, and the sky still threatened-

Terra blinked as a rain drop fell on him, then scowled lightly as it continued and dragged his blanket over his head. Scratch that, it was raining. He finished his drink and gathered his things, then spent the rest of the afternoon finishing the trek at sometime after dark in front of the mouth of a cave. Fortunately the rain never got any worse than a light drizzle.

Terra set up a small camp in the mouth of the cave and fell asleep. The following morning he woke just before dawn. He cleaned himself up as best he could and once again removed his shoes, this time before delving deeper into the cavern.

It was pitch black, but soon Terra recognized the ground beneath his feet, and very quietly reached his hand out to the darkness. He felt a wick, then pinched his hand around it as a fire spell lit it. He proceeded to do this with every other candle that became illuminated, until the cavern as exposed as a warmly glowing ancestral shrine. It was a deep red wooden structure, with a pyramidal base covered in candles and bits of prayer papers ("Wishes to the ancestors" Terra recalled) and a small gateway on top.

Terra bowed, recalling the words of Master Eraqus from his first visit from so long ago "This is a sacred place. A home of the spirits of the legacy of Keyblade Master after Keyblade Master. Treat it with the utmost respect."

As he stood tall again, he wondered absently how old he was: ten? Eleven? Somewhere in there... And then Aqua- with Terra tagging along -came here around the same age, when she'd had enough knowledge passed onto her. Terra frowned lightly at how Ven would need a few more lessons before it'd be his turn, but then reminded himself it wouldn't be that long.

Besides, he had other things he needed to do. He sat down, quietly pushed aside a few candles and papers, pulled out a drawer, then pulled put and undid the scroll inside as much as he could. He looked over all the names of deceased masters that had called this place home, until he found the very end of the scroll. He then smoothed out the paper and mixed up some ink. It took him a few moments to steady his hand, but when it was steady enough he reluctantly wrote Eraqus's name in the paper.

He set the brush aside, off the scroll, and very carefully curled up. He was admitting his adoptive father was gone, and nothing was worse. His tears began rolling over even when it was the last thing he wanted. He killed him. He helped Xehanort kill his master. He was such a criminal- no, a full out monster, a traitor, a fiend. He killed him, he had his father's blood on his hands.

He went from sitting down to a full kowtow, his grief that had built up over ten years finally exploding out "Please, I'm so sorry, I just wanted to keep Ventus safe, master! I didn't mean for any of this to happen!" He took a small breath, hating (and yet oddly desiring) the feeling that someone was strangling him "Please understand... All I wanted was for you to be as proud of me as I was of you..." He let out a choked laugh "And now I'm defiling this place with my groveling... Forgive me, master, I should have never come here..."

The cavern descended into a mournful silence only penetrated by Terra's sobs. Terra suddenly stiffened. Was he hearing his name? He slowly looked up, then blinked in awe at the vision in the candle light.

Master Eraqus was standing over him, prompting Terra to bow back down, but then he felt the warmth of Eraqus's luminous hand gently and quietly directing him to rise. He did so with hesitation, keeping his gaze downward in shame. Eraqus shook his head, then a glowing hand gently raised Terra's head. Terra drank in the fact that Eraqus was smiling, and only became confused.

"I could never be prouder of anyone else, my son." Eraqus said softly.

...

After another day or two, Ventus saw Terra returning. He dashed out to greet him. "TERRA!" He tackled the man.

Terra staggered, and laughed "Hey, nice to see you, Ven."

Aqua sauntered over and pecked his cheek "Hello, dear. How was the trip?"

Terra hugged her "It was definitely what I needed." He smiled and got down on one knee "Hey Ven, got something for you." Ventus then blinked at the sight of Terra pulling out a small statuette of him "I made this myself for you," He then stood and handed Aqua a similar one depicting her "and one for you."

Ventus admired the miniature him with delight "Sweet!"

Aqua, meanwhile, shook it and looked suspicious "Terra, there's something in here-"

"I know, a surprise." He then asked her "How's Ven holding up?"

Aqua smiled "He's doing great. Missed you a whole lot and got a few nightmares while you were gone, but we managed to settle in better than I thought." She shrugged a little "Maybe letting him talk things out with Mickey was a great choice."

Ventus fiddled with his statue "Do I have a surprise, too?" He then beamed proudly when the base undid itself and let a small note pop out "Aha!"

Terra laughed as he saw Ven read out his little note with a large grin, then leaned over to Aqua "Well, you do remember Riku practically bashing an anvil over our heads in promotion of that choice, right? Or did that anvil managed to wipe that memory up?" He then grabbed her hand with the statuette and brought it up "You got a letter, too."

Aqua opened her statue up and read over the note. She then glared at Terra "If this is a joke I'm very unamused."

Ventus's smile faded out in realization as he read his letter over again, and he shook his head "But Terra, you know the master is-" Ventus paused at Terra's knowing smile. He leaned in a little, his voice hushed "You met with him?! You found a way to... You found a way to talk with Master Eraqus?!"

Aqua's tone was contrastingly pessimistic "Ven, that's preposterous-"

Terra spoke up "He knew you two would say that."

Aqua started turning a vibrant shade of red while Ventus grinned wider. Aqua read her note over again. Ventus leaned over "What's yours say, Aqua?"

"Nothing important." She grumbled.

Ventus playfully elbowed her "Well mine says congrats on being a master! Come on yours is bound to say-"

"I always knew of the feelings between you and your husband, thank you for finally expressing it." Aqua mumbled. She wanted to rip up the small piece of paper but she couldn't bring herself to.

Terra kissed her cheek "Master Eraqus says hello and sends hugs and kisses." Of course, he neglected to tell them that he had made himself a little statue as well. One with a note that read

"I could never be prouder of anyone else, my son."

* * *

Note: Terra and Eraqus referring to themselves as father and son is purely a "hey we aren't related but might as well be" way. Have whatever fancy headcanons you want to connect the two as actual blood father and son, but for now I think it's safer to assume otherwise.

But ignoring the note just ugh poor Terra walked up to me in the middle of the night going "God I freaking killed my own dad do you understand the closure I need for that."

Also I have discovered a indie game called Ib you should seriously check it out.


End file.
